US sanctions crypto exchange run by Iranian billionaire processing 'Tehran tollbooth' fees
A cryptocurrency exchange owned by an Iranian billionaire has been sanctioned by the US, which accuses it of processing toll payments from ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz. BitBank is alleged to have routed hundreds of millions of dollars to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) after receiving cryptocurrency payments for the Hormuz Safe Marine Services Authority, which runs the…
The US has sanctioned a cryptocurrency exchange, BitBank, controlled by Iranian billionaire Babak Zanjani, for allegedly processing toll payments from ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz. Zanjani, sentenced to death in 2016 for embezzlement, has been involved in evading sanctions to support the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (Ofac) accused BitBank of facilitating the transfer of hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of Bitcoin to the IRGC in June. In addition to BitBank, six other firms associated with Zanjani have been sanctioned, including his Iran-based Dot One conglomerate. The US aims to isolate Iran economically through Operation Economic Outcast, targeting its illicit oil trade, financial intermediaries, and money exchanges.
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